Sri Lanka won against Bangladesh by two wickets with four balls to spare in the 2022 Asia Cup on Thursday, sealing the highest-ever chase in the UAE in the T20 format.
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka opted to bowl first against Bangladesh. Sri Lanka got off to a good start, with Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis attacking Bangladesh bowlers. Mendis was the highest scorer for Sri Lanka, scoring 60 off 37 balls, while Shanaka made 45 off 33 balls.
Mendis survived a reprieve after he was given out leg-before-wicket off a no-ball. Mendis did not control the game until the tenth over when he partnered with Shanaka.
Nissanka and Mendis gave a strong performance in the powerplay and managed 44 in the first five overs. Unfortunately, Ebadot Hossain from Bangladesh dismissed both Nissanka and Charith Asalanka in the same over. Hossain also dismissed Danushka Gunathilaka as Sri Lanka slipped to 67-3 and eventually to 77-4.
Shabbir Rahman from team Bangladesh got dismissed early while Bangladesh scored 50 of their first six overs. Wanindu Hasaranga and Chamika Karunaratne from Sri Lanka attempted to take control in the middle overs, with Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mehidy Hasan being quickly dispatched.
However, Hossain and Taskin Ahmed started to fight back with impressive fielding and bowling. Sri Lanka was temporarily down after Shanaka was dismissed with only three wickets in hand.
Eventually, Karunaratne and Asitha Fernando made hits as Bangladesh started to feel the pressure, with Hossain and Mahedi Hasan overstepping in a pinch, allowing Sri Lanka to win the match.
With Sri Lanka winning against Bangladesh, they reportedly are set to face Afghanistan in the opening Super Four match on Saturday.
Although defeated, Bangladesh gave a quite strong fight and proved to be a tough challenger for Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh youngsters Afif Hossain and Mosaddek Hossain contributed to the team with impactful knocks during various stages of the innings, allowing Bangladesh to reach 183 for seven against Sri Lanka.
Afif made 39 runs off 22 balls, while Mahmudullah Riyad scored 27 runs off 22 balls. They both added 57 runs in 6.1 overs for the fifth wicket to ensure the team crossed the 180-run mark. Once they came together, the two started to shift gears as the last six overs yielded 74 runs.
Meanwhile, Mosaddek contributed with a cameo, hitting 24 off nine balls and helping his team finish the innings and reach some more than the respectable total. Mehidy contributed to the fight against Sri Lanka by scoring 28 runs off 26 balls before being dismissed by Hasaranga’s googly.
Skipper Shakin scored 24 runs off 22 balls and hit a few boundaries off Karunaratne as he completed 6000 runs in both domestic and international T20 cricket before.
That said, team Bangladesh ended up being eliminated in the group stages of the Asia Cup. They were also eliminated from the T20 World Cup last year without a single win. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka came out victorious with 171/8 after chasing 184 in 19.2 overs.
